Day Four Roma

Today our plan was to catch one of the many hop-on hop-off tours and take a ride. Well things didn't go exactly according to plan, but we still had fun.

DH enjoying the Hop-on tour

We began our day by walking to Piazza Barberini to catch the tour bus.  On the way we again went by Santa Maria della Vittoria, where the The Ecstasy of St Theresa statue by Gian Lorenzo Bernini is housed.  It is right across the street from Santa Susanna, but we totally missed that on Sunday. We were going to go in, but I was in a tank top and didn't have anything to cover my shoulders with me. Oh well we will be back in that area again as it is only about a mile from our hotel.  We made it Barberini and hopped the bus.

We were doing great on the bus...until we came upon a demonstration that stopped traffic dead in it's tracks. The metro had shut down due to a strike. Thank goodness we didn't get the three day metro pass!  So our entire bus clears out, except DH & I.And some nice British ladies. We were told that it would be about two hours before the bus would move again. The young lady that works for the tour company advised us to visit a nearby church as it would be cooler than sitting on the bus. We had just made it up the first group of stairils to the church, when she came running to find us. The bus was cleared to go again.  It was really nice of her to let us know. When we got back on the bus we were able to get the best seats on the bus. Right at the front of the upper deck.  We kept these seats until we were forced to switch buses at St Peters Square. Have I mentioned that the metro was closed today? That means everyone in Roma that normally take the Metro, were out on the streets on their scooters or in their cars.  I have no idea how the bus drivers do it, but somehow they navigate traffic. After living through traffic in Roma, I will never complain about traffic at home again.

Roman Traffic

At this point we knew that we would have to wait at least 15 minutes for the next bus to arrive, so we decided to eat at the Cafe San Pietro. Epic fail! Oh we got lunch alright, for 52 Euros. To top it all off, it wasn't even that good!  Well we knew we needed to walk it off, so we decided we would go ahead and tour Basilica di San Pietro.   Even though we are going to be there tomorrow morning anyway.

We began to walk into the square and I was overwhelmed. I was walking into the square that Bernini designed! What an odd feeling, admiration for the work of a great artist, and a little buzz from being so close to the Holy Father.

As we walked to the square we were of course hounded by the street vendors that are almost everywhere in Roma. Do you need a map? Do you need a scarf? Do you need a guide book? Do you need an umbrella? Do you need? Do you need?  They can be very pushy. In fact they like to put the items right in your hands. I have to admit it is a brilliant selling strategy, but we have learned to say Grazie, NON!  They were even trying to convince people that the line into the Basilica was to long. You don't have to wait in line if you pay us to guide you. Ummm it is a church, entrance is free!  And if you do your homework before you go, you don't need a guided tour.

dome of San Pietro 

I didn't take any pictures inside the church. It just seems dirty somehow to take pictures inside a house of worship. I know everyone else does it, why shouldn't I snap off a few shots. Well not only did it just not seem right, but the lighting is not great for photos. I also refuse to take flash photography of artworks.  It speeds up the degradation of some pigments, and I will not be part of destroying the worlds great art treasures. I know it sounds a little lame, who knows when I will ever have the opportunity to be at San Pietro again? But it is something I feel  passionate about. Other people are passionate about recycling, I am passionate about art.

The Basilica is amazing! I still can't believe that this trip is real. We have been inside the worlds largest church. The Chapel of the Pieta, where Michelangelo's famous statue is housed is completely closed off with large panes of glass. I was disapointed that we were not able to get closer, but I understand the reasoning behind it. Several years back the statue was damaged when a man climbed it and broke off fingers.  It was still one of the most amazing works of art that I have ever seen.

While we were able to see some beautiful art, I also cried like a little sissy girl. The tomb of John Paul II was moved from the Grotto to the main Basilica earlier this year during the beautification process. I greatly admired him, and I was over come with emotion, seeing his resting place.  I hope when I make it to heaven I will be allowed to meet him. I wonder who the other four people I will meet in heaven will be?

Swiss Guard 

While we were there, we were able to watch the changing of the Swiss Guard. The uniforms are so beautiful. I feel so blessed to have been able to witness the ceremony. It amazes me that they are all really Swiss, and that it is a high honor to serve the Holy See.

While we have been here we have seen so many things that are just culturally different than home. One of the strangest for me is the Man-pri,yep you guessed it grown men wearing capri pants. Today we spotted four pairs of Man-pri's all over the city.  I tired to convince DH that we should get him a pair before our next trip, he politely declined my offer.

Can't wait until tomorrow when we head back to San Pietro to attend a Papal audience. Many thanks for the Church of Santa Susanna for providing us with the tickets.